title: Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionisation-time of flight mass spectrometry for rapid identification of Laribacter hongkongensis.
abstract: Laribacter hongkongensis is a Gram-negative, facultative anaerobic, motile, S-shaped, urease-positive bacillus associated with invasive infections in liver cirrhosis patients and community-acquired gastroenteritis. Most cases of L hongkongensis infections occur in eastern countries. Information is lacking on the usefulness of matrix-assisted laser desorption ionisation time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) for the identification of bacteria important in eastern countries. Using the Bruker database extended with 21 L hongkongensis reference strains, all 240 L hongkongensis isolates recovered from patients, fish, frogs and water were correctly identified, with 224 (93.3%) strains having top match scores ≥2.0. Notably, the strain of Chromobacterium violaceum was not reliably identified although it is included in the database. MALDI-TOF MS is useful for the accurate routine identification of L hongkongensis after adding reference L hongkongensis main spectra to the database. The number of strains for each species in MALDI-TOF MS databases should be expanded to cover intraspecies variability.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Hong Kong Sanatorium and Hospital, , Hong Kong, China.
authors.forename: Bone S F
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Susanna K P
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Lau
authors.forename: Jade L L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Teng
authors.forename: Tsz-Ming
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.forename: Wai-Sing
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.forename: Ting-Yin
authors.initials: TY
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.forename: Yu-Ting
authors.initials: YT
authors.lastname: Tong
authors.forename: Rachel Y Y
authors.initials: RY
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.forename: Kwok-Yung
authors.initials: KY
authors.lastname: Yuen
authors.forename: Patrick C Y
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Woo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001492:Bass; D002347:Carps; D017714:Community-Acquired Infections / Q000150:complications; D016208:Databases, Factual; D005393:Fish Diseases / Q000382:microbiology*; D005618:Fresh Water; D005759:Gastroenteritis / Q000150:complications; D006801:Humans; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000150:complications; D009346:Neisseriaceae / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D016870:Neisseriaceae Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000382:microbiology*; D011898:Ranidae / Q000382:microbiology*; D019032:Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization / Q000379:methods*; D013997:Time Factors; D014871:Water Microbiology; D014881:Water Supply
keywords: BACTERIOLOGY; DIAGNOSTICS; MICROBIOLOGY